Karma
by Long lost sorrow
Summary: Set after 'Revolutions'. Karma thinks she's a freak, that there's something wrong with her. But she's about to find something out...She's not the only one with a secret.


_Hello, and welcome to my insane (and most likely idiotic) story! To those of you who have read my others…Yes, I have decided to make another, though nearly all the rest are on pause. Ugh, I forgot I have to do this…Hold on a sec…_

**Disclaimer: If I owned it, would I be writing this story right now? No, I'd be making it into a movie. Dur. Therefore, I do not own 'The Matrix'.**

_Anyways, I haven't seen the last movie yet, (sucks for me, I know…)but I know mostly what happens. However, if I get anything wrong, please tell me. This is set afterwards…_

_Oh, this chapter's in Karma's point of view…The others might be in just one person's point of view as well…I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

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**Karma**

_Today is just another ordinary day._ That's what I tell myself. It's just another day, nothing to worry about.

But something inside tells me I'm not right. For one thing…That strange message last night. There was something…Alien about it. I remember the way it looked…The green writing on a pitch-black screen. The colors were wrong, and just…Completely alien.

Although I normally get strange messages from people I don't know, this one just wasn't right to me.

Actually, for months there's been something wrong, and not just with my family. Everywhere I turn, I feel like I'm being watched. The airs on the back of my neck stand straight and I turn, either quickly or slowly, to see them.

All I've ever gotten were fleeting shadows, nothing more.

But what did I expect? If there's someone following me, the last thing they're going to do is let me see them.

Let me explain:

The reason there's most likely somebody following me is because of what I am.

You see, I am what they call…A hacker. But I'm not the normal kind, the ones who do it for money and renown.

I do it for the rush. Every time I get the right code, the perfect hack into a new place, I get this amazing feeling that I'm fooling them all, the girls at school that think I'm safe and easy to scare, my parents who think I'm a dreamer and will never live my life, and, best of all, society, who says I'll never win.

For them, I'm a slow learner, somebody who lives in the world of dreams…A place they can't see, and never can. They all expect me to follow my voice and end up in the music business when I grow up…

Ugh.

Yes, I admit to loving to sing, but who cares? I just know there's something more out there, something…Unexpected. But who cares?

Right now, I'm late for class.

I run through the door and hear them snicker in the back of the classroom. I brush a long, dark strand of hair behind my ear. The teacher glances up and gets that 'Oh, Gawd, not again…' look in his eyes. He sighs.

"Ms. Culley, so nice to see you. Late for class. Again." More snickers from the back of the class. I look down at the floor. _Don't listen, Sumner, don't listen…He means nothing to you. Absolutely nothing._

"Since you apparently have a problem with authority, you may sit in the front of the class today. Where I can watch you." His last words echo through the room soundly, and I feel as if something is coming. I shiver. But there's nothing wrong, and they're staring at me again. The teacher takes off his glasses and squints at me.

"Ms. Culley, are you all right?" I feel dizzy. I shake my head no. The teacher raises an eyebrow.

"Something wrong at home?" I want to yell, tell him to go away, and yes, there's something horribly wrong at home, something horribly wrong with the world, but I hold back.

What I do is shake my head slowly. The teacher nods.

"Right, must be that flu going around. Well, go down to the office and call your mother, I'm sure she'll want you home…" He looks unnerved by me. I nod and walk back out the door.

Funny how these things happen to me constantly.

Actually, it's better for me that I left; I have no friends to speak of.

Basically, each day is worse than the last. I used to be teased because of the way I looked, but then they caught me singing…Well, everything changed after that. I was left alone, I suppose, but they still stare and whisper in the hallways.

You may ask 'What do you look like? Why do they laugh at you for it?'

I, as my mother would say, have beautiful, piercing eyes.

The kids at school would say I have creepy eyes.

I, in all truth, have big, green eyes that almost glow when I'm sad. I also have long, brown almost-black hair. My skin is tan, not too white, not too dark, in the middle. I'm what most people would call a 'Heinz 57'…Somebody with a lot of different origins. I'm Spanish, English, Welsh…etc…This makes me look strange to other people. But I honestly could care less.

I walk down the hallway slowly, trying to figure out what it meant, the message. It makes no sense to me. I remember the words as though it was seconds ago they were written…

_Hello, Karma._

_The Matrix has you. You have to wake up, Karma._

_**I am awake. Who are you? What do you want?**_

_We are the forgotten path. We are everything and we are nothing. We want to save you._

_**I don't need saving. I'm fine right where I am. **_

_You only think you are. _

_**What are you talking about?**_

_This isn't a secure line. I-_

And that was it. The screen had disappeared after that, as though it had never existed. And since then…Nothing. No people on the street giving me strange looks, no unusual looking people at school. Nothing. But…Still, the feeling that there's something wrong, that there's someone watching me…I pick up the phone and call my mom, telling her to take me home. I actually feel fine, but how's the teacher supposed to know that? I don't like school.

So, eventually my mom picks me up. She looks worried.

"What happened, baby? You sick?" I nod.

"Yeah. Could I…Would you mind if I stayed home today? You don't have to stay with me if you don't want, just leave me at home…I am old enough to take care of myself, you know." She gets a relieved look on her face.

"Are you sure, baby?" I nod again.

"Yeah, mom, I'm sure." She smiles.

"All right, you drink lots of fluids and…" she keeps going. I stop listening and stare out the window. I frown slightly as I notice the black car creeping along after us. I roll my window down a little and stick my head out. I catch a glimpse of a man with dark hair before we turn the corner and they're lost. I sigh and drop back down into my seat.

Soon, we're back at the house. Finally. I wave goodbye to my mom after getting inside and watch her drive away. As soon as she's out of sight, I run upstairs to my computer. Nothing.

I sigh and drop into my swivel chair, closing my eyes and resting my chin on my hands. I hear a beep and look at the computer.

My hands drop to my sides. How did they know I'm home? I move my chair away from the computer.

_**I know you are there.**_

Strange how five words can make the little hairs on the back of your neck stand straight up. I stare at it.

All right, no more Ms. Nice Girl. I hit the monitor key. The screen disappears. I smirk at it.

"So there." I yawn and head for the showers. Another noise behind me makes me turn.

My mouth drops open in shock.

"No. Way."

Not only has my computer restarted, the screen has a new message.

**_You can't deny the truth, Karma. There's no getting away from this. _**

I shiver and dive underneath my desk to pull the plug out. Now, I've probably screwed my computer up, but I can fix that. I mean, I'm a hacker, right?

* * *

_One month later…_

The sun is rising.

I can feel the warmth on my neck. My blankets settle on the floor as I stand and stretch.

The last month seems like a dream. After the day I unplugged my computer, there were no more messages.

However, I have spent all free waking time trying to find information about this… 'Matrix'.

Unfortunately, all I can find is some lame test to find what animal I am and a few support groups. Yeah, I'm pretty sure the person on the computer didn't mean that.

Of course, standing up starts a chain reaction. Mom opens the door and smiles at me cheerfully.

"Happy birthday, darling! Don't forget: I'll be at your concert tonight!" she smiles again, "Now, I really must go, but I promise I'll be there this time!" she blows me a kiss and closes the door again. I yawn and sigh.

Searching for information about the 'matrix' brought up other information…But extremely strange information. People disappearing, conspiracy theories…Things like that. And it scares me, more than I'd ever care to admit.

I slip into shorts and tug the tank top I'm already wearing down so that it covers more. Frustrated at life right now, I tug my hair into a ponytail and pull my headphones over my ears.

Then, I remember what Mom said. It's my birthday, and I'd completely forgotten. Today, I'm fifteen. The simple fact amazes me more than I'd expect it to; I feel so much older then fifteen already.

Ah well. Age is just a number, anyways. I shut the door and lock it behind me, feeling the cool, crisp air calm and sooth me. I take a deep breath and start to jog down the sidewalk to the park down the block. I don't stop. I keep running and running until the sun's high in the sky and there are more runners on the path.

I stop and drop into a nearby park bench, music pounding into my ears. I sigh and roll my head back until I'm looking straight up. I close my eyes for a few seconds, savoring the fabulous obliviousness of music itself-I just wish my life could be like this. I feel a stray tear start to roll down my cheek. Before I can brush it away, I feel a light touch on my cheek, whisking it away. I jump to defense and see a boy standing there, his cheeks bright red. I yank my headphones off and glare at him.

"Who are you and what do you think you're doing?" I ask him angrily. He looks away bashfully.

"Well, I kinda figured since we kinda knew each other…Well, that is, I came over to talk to you and I saw…" he trails off, glancing at me hopefully. I stare at him.

Sure enough, this is the boy I've seen around my theater lately. That is the stage I practice on-the one I'm going to sing on tonight. He's the son of the technician. I shrug at him and wave off his apology.

"It's fine. I've got to go." I turn away from him. He grabs my arm. I turn my head to look back at him.

"Yeah?"

"Um…Good luck tonight." I nod my thanks, pull my headphones back over my ears and run home to get ready. I have to be there in less than an hour…

* * *

I'm about to go on stage.

I can hear my cue begin to play, and even now, I can tell just how many people are out there. I can hear them breathe, can hear them move.

I'm used to it by now-there never used to be anyone at my little school performances, but this one's different. It's a community concert, like most of the ones I do.

I can tell something's not right when I walk onstage.

For one, yes, it's a community concert, but the people who usually some are dressed casually.

Two things catch my eye among the usual throng:

In the first row, there's two people dressed completely in black, shiny leather. They aren't even sitting next to each other, but I can tell they know each other in the way they easily won't look directly at the other, but around them. They're both staring at me, fixated.

The second one scares me more, for some reason. My skin begins to crawl when I see them.

Just about five rows from stage, four men sit, their faces devoid completely of any emotion. They're all vaguely the same-receding hairline, dark glasses, even though the lights are barely on (except for my spotlight, of course), black suits and blue ties. They stare directly at me coldly, and just like Mr. Hyde of Poe's thriller makes people feel, I feel sick and hate at the sight of them. I can feel myself begin to shake and hear the nervous whispers of the cast backstage. I shake my head and smile fakely at the audience.

"Hello, everyone! It's a lovely evening, isn't it?" Actually, it's a horrible night-It's been raining since I got to the performance center. But they buy it-I get mixed reactions from the audience.

I smile again.

"Well, it's nice to be here with you all tonight! I'm going to sing a few songs for you, is that okay?" more yelling. I grin, "All right, then! This song is called 'Playground Hate'…" I begin to sing my song, and watch them tip to the front of their eats in satisfaction. I feel a sense of satisfaction in myself. I get it every single time this happens.

So I sing and I sing. I sing three more song, and then it's time for my break (or Intermission, for them) I retreat to my dressing room and grab a bottle of water from the counter. One of the helpers comes in and hands me my phone.

"Call for you," he mouths, pointing to the phone. I nod and wave him away. Holding the phone to my ear, I feel a slight tingle of fear go down my back. I bite my lip.

"Hello?" I hear calm silence on the other side.

"Hello, Karma." I scoot backwards in my chair.

"Who the Hell is this? Stay away from me!"

"Your words are spoken out of simple fear. You saw the men in the audience-the ones with the black suits. You know who I'm talking about." He says them as simple statements. I start to get more curious and less afraid.

"Yes-" He interrupts.

"They're here to take you away." I stop moving completely, images flashing through my mind. I'm terrified out of my wits, but apparently I've found the courage somewhere to say:

"Shit." The man on the other line calmly answers.

"There are ways out of it, but you have to trust me," he state clearly. I nod at the mirror.

"Of course, just help!"

"Good. Out the back door of the second level, there's a fire escape. Climb it." I take the phone with me and follow as instructed. Behind me, I hear cold voices and yelling. I run faster and almost fly up the escape. I pull my phone out of the tiny purse I'd dragged along with me. I put the phone to my ear, my hands shaking.

"What now?"

"At the edge of the roof, there's a rope leading to the ground. Climb it down." I shudder. No, this I cannot do. I have Acrophobia, or fear of heights. I can't climb down ropes, I can't jump off buildings.

"Is there some other way? I can't do this." I inform the person on the other end. I can faintly hear clacking, like someone typing on a keyboard. There's a light sigh, as though someone's trying to cover their annoyance. I hear mumbling in the background.

Suddenly, I hear a loud, different kind of tapping-the sound of shoes on the fire escape-and I know.

There's no other way to do this, just down the rope. I leap from the side of the building and catch hold of the rope, distantly clutching the purse with the cell phone shoved in it. I let myself fall, ignoring the pain from rope burn coming from my hands.

I drop to the ground and stumble to the wall for support. A man jumps from the shadows, almost startling a scream from me. I step backwards from him suspiciously, holding the phone back up to my ear.

"You're safe," the voice says to me, "You can trust the man in front of you." I eye the man again. He stares at me blankly.

"Now. Hang up, he'll take you to a safe place." I slide my cell phone closed. The man watches me wth heavy-lidded eyes.

"Karma," it's not a question; it's a statement. I nod. He grabs my arm and pushes me into a black car. I slide in next to a woman with long, blonde hair. She gives me a slight smile before the man slides in next to me. I realize they're the two who were in the first row. I look at them back and forth. The man ignores me once again and pulls a long, black, thick stick.

I stare at him as he brings it closer to me.

"What're you doing?" I ask curiously. He looks at me for a second.

"I'm sweeping you for bugs," he runs it along my body, and when nothing happens, he turns and puts it back calmly.

"No bugs." I stare at them.

"What in the world's going on?" they glance at me. The man jumps into the front seat and starts to chat with the driver, another woman with short black hair. The blonde one rolls her eyes and turns to look at me.

"I'm Terra," she tells me calmly, holding her hand out, "Now, I can't tell you where we're going right now…Just that it's safe. The man in front is Circuit and the woman next to him is Phobia." I take her hand and shake it, thoughts running through my head-They were all hackers as well; any fool would know _that_. They were truly legends and had all disappeared suddenly out of thin air.

Everyone she'd ever talked to had believed they were caught by the law. But it looked like they were just…Somewhere in-between, as my mom would say.

When we finally stop, things haven't changed in the car-Circuit's still in the front, Phobia right next to him, and Terra's talking so fast I'm scared her teeth might fall out.

We pull up in front of a short-ish building, only two stories high. They pull me out of the car and into the building quickly, glancing around like there's someone on their backs.

I stumble up the stairs after them, pulling the ridiculous dress behind me.

I know it's strange, but the only thing I can think is _I hope Mom doesn't get too mad over me ruining my new dress…_

When we finally stop, I'm standing in front of double-doors. Terra gives me a friendly smile.

"Make the right choice." Is all she says before they open the doors and push me inside to Gods-know-what.

"Ah, the illustrious Sumner Culley, also known as Karma," the man in the chair says calmly, "Take a seat." I glance across from him at the old leather chair and sit. He smiles at me and I shiver. It almost intimidates me.

"My name…Is Morpheus. I have come to you with a choice. You have heard of the matrix, I presume?" I nod slowly, trying to seem calm and collected. It doesn't work. Curiosity takes over.

"What is the matrix, anyways?" I ask him, my voice sounding more quiet and resigned than I'd expect it to be. He steeples his fingers beneath his chin.

"I'm sorry, Karma. I know you're having a hard time right now and want answers to all your questions. But I cannot tell you what the Matrix is, you can only be shown." I sigh and drop back into my chair, disappointment gaining control. He leans forward.

"Your whole life, you've been different. Am I correct?" I stare at him.

"Of course, just look at me. What'd you expect?" he shakes his head slowly.

"You hate it here, don't you?" the question shocks me. But then…I realize it's true. I do hate it here. I feel like I've been living my life fake, trying to be something that doesn't exist all the time.

That song's been sung a million times before.

"I do." I admit. Finally, admitting that…It feels so strange. Oh, well. This whole thing's strange. I'm probably going to wake up with the alarm clock blaring…Ugh. Oh, well, this is life…For me, at least. I know it's different for other people. People unlike me. People that aren't freaks.

He leans forward.

"There's another place. A place where we are what we are. Where you can learn to fight. Where you don't have to wait for everyone else to change. I can take you there," he pulls a small silver case out of his pocket and empties it into his hand, "All you have to do is choose. Take the red pill and you go, but I'm warning you, it's dangerous," he opens his other hand, revealing a clear, blue pill, "Take the blue pill and you wake up tomorrow with the thought that this is all just a dream. You decide. But I'd suggest you choose wisely, there's no going back afterwards." I stare at his hand.

I know it…It's just a dream. It's all a dream. So taking the red one won't change anything, anyway…But I honestly don't want to stay here, staying here meant going back home where Father was…is…And I want to stay as far away from that man as I can possibly get. If taking this pill meant staying away from him, I'll take it.

I reach out and take it from him, grabbing the glass of water and pouring it down my throat afterwards. Morpheus watches me with hooded eyes. As soon as I'm done, he stands and opens the doors again.

"Come with me, Karma," he tells me, gesturing toward the door. I stand and walk out, watching him behind me. I almost run into a guy with white-blonde hair. He bows to me deeply.

"Mademoiselle," he says calmly. I raise an eyebrow at him and he grins.

"Façade, pleased to meet you," he says, taking my hand and kissing it. I blink. Terra grabs my arm and pulls me into another chair.

"You'd best sit," she tells me, stepping back away and busying herself with a few pieces of huge equipment. Phobia squats in front of her, her dark hair pulled away from her face. She looks into my eyes intensely and holds something up in front of me. I blink and look at it.

It's a necklace. The beautiful, dark red ruby on it moves back and forth, back and forth like a pendulum. I stare at it and reach my hand out. The ruby sticks to my fingers and begins to grow. I stare in shocked fascination at the beautiful thing growing and encasing my arm in it. I feel so…Surreal. Like maybe this is all someone's cruel dream and I don't really exist. It begins to cover my face and I hear a blood-curdling scream…I look round as best I can until I realize…It's me that's screaming.

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_Ah, so there you have it. The first chapter. Review, please. I'll start the next one as soon as possible. _


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